Friction bands hinge connections



Jan. 7, 1958 G. 1.. HART FRICTION BANDS HINGE CONNECTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1956 Jan. 7, 1958 G. HART FRICTION BANDS HINGE CONNECTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 25, 1956 fnderzfar. ary inf/21 1 6.

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2,8183% Patented Jan. 7, 1958 FRICTlQJN BANDS HINGE CQNNECTIONS George L. Hart, Providence, Ky.

Application April 25, 1956, Serial No. 586,629

6 Claims. (Cl. 192-80) in brakes and clutches employing friction bands cooperating with relatively movable drums, the most common structural failure is through breaking of the bands at the anchored or dead ends. This is due to uneven distribution of stresses arising from various causes, so that an excessive load is imposed on the band along one of its edges instead of across its entire width. Some of these causes are misalignment of the dead end pin, band inaccuracies, and drum wobble and misalignment.

in the case of a band made in two sections, hinged together at their meeting ends, breaking of the band at this hinge sometimes occurs, for similar reasons.

Various expedients have been and are tried to overcome the aforesaid weakness but, so far as I know, without much success.

The object of the present invention is to produce a terminal for a hinged end of a friction band that enables it to adjust itself automatically so that substantially ali of the aforesaid failures of such bands are avoided.

In order to achieve this object 1 provide a connecting unit composed of two parts joined together in a manner to permit relative angular movement between the same, one of the parts being adapted to be hinged to the support for the dead end of the band, or to a meeting section of the same band, while the other part is fixed to the band end in a manner to distribute the stresses across the entire width of the band. Because of the joint in the connecting unit, the anchored or dead end of a band can shift a little to the right or left, if necessary, to achieve proper alignment and cause even distribution of stresses within the same to be maintained.

The various features of novelty whereby the invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of one half of an assembly containing two conventional relatively rotating members, one of which is a drum, and a friction band provided with my improved anchoring means for the dead end of the band;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of a section of the band and its dead end terminal;

Pig. 4 is a view showing only the endmost member of the jointed terminal unit;

Fig. 5 is an edge view of the structure appearing in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section on line an of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view similar to Fig. 3, showing a further modification;

Fig. 9 is an edge view of the structure appearing in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a section on line ill-l0 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, showing still another modification;

Fig. 12 is an edge view of a hinge connection between two meeting ends of a band, embodying the present inpermitting or causing the band to be tightened or loosened.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs.

3 to 7, there is a sturdy sleeve 4 adapted to be mounted on member l in the usual way, with its axis paralleling the axis of relative rotation between members 1 and 2; the immediate mounting means being a pin or stub shaft 5 projecting from member 1 across the drum. The sleeve.

has a stem 6 the mid plane of which, extended, contains the axis of the sleeve. This stem is thick and flat and is provided with deep, coaxial, cylindrical recesses 7, "7 in its broad faces. edge 6 of the stem is in the form of an arc of a circle whose center is at the axis of the recesses.

Rigidly attached to the end of the friction band is a block 8 which embraces the stem 6 and is provided with two cylindrical bosses 9, 9 fitting rotatably in recesses 7'7. Block 3 is composed of two like pieces, meeting in a plane at right angles to the common axis of the bosses. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 37 the two halves of block 8 are secured together and. to the band by a weld it); that portion of the edge (i of the block at the juncture with the band being part of a cylindrical surface having its center at the axis of the bosses.

To prevent spreading apart of the two pieces of block 8 at the end opposite that to which the band is fixed,

a pin it may extend through the block and the stem at the common axis of the recesses and bosses. Since the block and the stem engage each over broad, flat surfaces, the connection between them is a very firm one and any relative movement except angular movements about the common axis of the bosses is prohibited.

Obviously the bosses may be on the stem radiating from sleeve 4, while the recesses or sockets are in the member fixed to the band. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 840, wherein the stem id is shown as divided into two sections on a mid plane containing the axis of the sleeve. A block 15 is fixed to the band 3: in any suitable manner and fits between the two stern sections. The sockets to are in the block and the bosses it? are integral parts of the stem. in the specific construction illustrated, the block is secured to the band by a weld 13, whereas the two stem sections are both permanently united with each other and the sleeve by welds 19. In this construction at least one of the welds between the stern and the sleeve must be made after block 15 has been placed between the two halves of the stern. A pin 11 may extend through the assembly at the common axis of the bosses and recesses, as in the first form.

In Fig. ll there is illustrated still another way of clamping the block member, carried by the hand, between the two parts of a sectional stem; the sleeve it} being divided along a plane containing the axis of the sleeve and constituting the median plane of the stem 21.

After a block, similar to block 15, is set into position between the two halves of the stem, the two parts of the divided sleeve and stem are fastened together by bolts 22 and 23.

In Figs. 12 and 13 there is shown a means utilizing the present invention as a substitute for one leaf of a conventional hinge for connecting together the meeting ends of a two piece friction band 24. Such means comprises a unit 25 which takes the form of any one of the At least the major portion of the aforesaid embodiments of the invention; the particular embodiment being like that shown in Figs. 8-10, comprising the sleeve 2a with a stem 27 and the block 28; the sleeve being divided transversely of its axis into sections spaced apart from each other to form with corresponding elements of a hinge leaf 2% a hinge knuckle through which the usual hinge pin 30 passes; and that part of the block outwardly from the end of the stem being thickened to permit the overlying part of the band to contact the drum.

With the arrangement g'ust described, the hinge permits the two meeting ends of a hand to adjust themselves about two axes at right angles to each other, so as to maintain an even distribution of the stresses across the entire width of the band, in the same manner as at a dead end.

It will thus be seen that an end of the band, whether it be a dead end or an end of one of two band sections hinged together, can always float sidewise if the alignment in the structure be faulty for any reason, so that the stresses in the band would otherwise be greater at one edge than at the other; whereby the stresses will be evenly distributed. This is accomplished without any weakening of the band, because the load is borne by the bosses and is transmitted to the band across the entire width of the latter. Furthermore, since the bosses are of large diameter, they are not only sturdy but resist wear and prevent lost motion in the joint.

While I have described with particularity only a single preferred form of the invention together with a few modifications, I do not desire to be limited to the specific details illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms coming within the definitions of the invention constituting the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a drum member and a second member adjacent to each other for relative rotation, an element mounted on said second member near the periphery of the drum, said element having a broad, flat stem provided with cylindrical recesses in opposed sides and having a common axis in a plane intersecting the drum and at right angles to the axes of the latter, a device partially embracing the free end of the stem and having flat surfaces engaged with said sides and provided with bosses fitting rotatably in said recesses to permit the device to oscillate, and a friction band engaged with the periphery of the drum and attached across its entire width to said device.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the device that partially embraces the stem is composed of two pieces meeting in a plane at right angles to the axis of the bosses.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein means are provided to attach the band to the said device and simultaneously secure the two pieces of the device together.

4. A friction band assembly for use on a drum for clutching or braking, having a dead end anchoring terminal that comprises: an element for attachment to a support for such dead end, said element having a wide, fiat stem, said stem containing axially aligned, cylindrical recesses in its broad faces, a block as wide as the stern partially embracing the stem and having flat surfaces engaged with said faces, said block extending beyond the free end of the stem and having bosses fitting rotatably in said recesses and means securing the block to the band, across the entire width of the band, with the plane of the band at right angles to the bosses.

5. A friction band assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein the block consists of two pieces lying on opposite sides of the plane of the band, and wherein the means that secures the block to the band also secures the two pieces of the block together.

6. A friction band assembly as set forth in claim 5 having, in addition, a pin that extends through the stem and the device embracing the same, at the common axis of the recesses, to absorb stresses in said device lengthwise of said axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 309,203 Clark Dec. 16, 1884 700,910 Glenn May 27, 1902 2,723,016 Goldberg Nov. 8, 1955 2,778,470 Goldberg Jan. 22, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 414,461 Germany May 30, 1925 

